Hot Topics:

News

Three-day Riot Fest faces uncertain future in Byers

By John AguilarThe Denver Post

Posted:
07/01/2014 08:38:39 PM MDT

Updated:
07/02/2014 10:57:50 AM MDT

More than 200 people packed the American Legion Hall in Byers to comment on the planned Riot Fest concert at an Arapahoe County Commissioners meeting Tuesday night, July 1, 2014. (Karl Gehring, The Denver Post)

BYERS — A large crowd of people turned out Tuesday to voice their feelings about a giant three-day music festival featuring The Cure, Rise Against, Primus and The Flaming Lips scheduled in September on a farm near Byers.

The future of Riot Fest in Colorado, held for the first time in the state last year at May Farms near Byers, remains uncertain as Arapahoe County officials wrestle with whether to allow the event to continue this year. No decision on the event's future was made Tuesday evening.

The festival, which boasts a robust lineup of nationally known rock and punk bands and attracted an estimated 15,000 ticketholders a day in 2013, is planned for the weekend of Sept. 19-21.

Charles Avery of Byers was one of several people who complained that the festival caused traffic problems and resulted in open drug use among attendees. He said the music at last year's Riot Fest was so loud he had to close his windows.

"I don't want the traffic and the noise and the nasty things that are sold there," Avery said. "Hold your riot someplace else, and let us Byers residents live in peace and quiet."

Advertisement

Arnold Hollinsworth, a Byers resident, said traffic generated by the festival kept locals from getting around town and going about their business.

"You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that Highway 36 isn't going to be able to handle the congestion from this," he said.

But others, many on the younger end of the age scale, said Riot Fest and events like it are good for the struggling economies of small eastern plains communities like Byers. Several people said Riot Fest had potential to help a "dying" town.

Cari Olson said she attended Riot Fest last year and felt that many who oppose the event aren't willing to accept a diverse crowd in town.

"I don't see anything wrong with me or people like me," she said.

Several commissioners mentioned that they had received e-mails from residents concerned about noise, hours and traffic problems from last year's Riot Fest.

Commissioner Rod Bockenfeld asked Wagner what he would do in the event of a mass casualty incident that required significant medical response.

"How do we get these people triaged and into Denver when the only mechanism we have is Flight for Life?" he asked.

Wagner said his event's emergency response plan is very thorough and can handle the normal challenges of a large festival. He acknowledged that improvements can be made from the 2013 event, which was marred by heavy rain and thunderstorms and delayed musical acts into the early-morning hours.

Wagner said Riot Fest plans to boost the local economy as much as it can, from buying office supplies to fencing to water.

"The goal is spend as much money locally as we can," Wagner said. "Can we get it in Byers? Can we get it in the county? It's basically a good neighbor attitude we want to bring."

Wagner said he held an open house Monday to discuss some of the issues with the community. He said he was willing to scale back the hours a bit so the festival doesn't go so late.

The commissioners are considering two issues related to Riot Fest.

The first is a temporary use permit that the festival's producers need to hold the event. The commissioners also are mulling whether to grant a use by special review amendment allowing May Farms to expand its agritainment operations to an additional 195 acres north of I-70 to accommodate large events like Riot Fest.

More than 17,000 tickets a day are expected to be sold to this year's Riot Fest.

Billionaires, entertainers and athletes alike announced their intentions to pursue the Los Angeles Clippers with varying degrees of seriousness Wednesday, proving the longtime losers will be quite a prize if the NBA is able to wrest control of the team away from Donald Sterling after his lifetime ban for racist remarks. Full Story

Louie, who (like Louis) is a New York comic and a divorced father of two daughters, knows struggle and angst and cloudy wonderment. He views life through eyes with a stricken look, dwelling in a state of comfortable dread. Full Story